Device drivers literally drive everything you're interested in--disks, monitors, keyboards, modems--everything outside the computer chip and memory. And writing device drivers is one of the few areas of programming for the Linux operating system that calls for unique, Linux-specific knowledge. For years now, programmers have relied on the classic Linux Device Drivers from O'Reilly to master this critical subject. Now in its third edition, this bestselling guide provides all the information you'll need to write drivers for a wide range of devices. Over the years the book has helped countless programmers learn: * how to support computer peripherals under the Linux operating system * how to develop and write software for new hardware under Linux * the basics of Linux operation even if they are not expecting to write a driver The new edition of Linux Device Drivers is better than ever. The book covers all the significant changes to Version 2.6 of the Linux kernel, which simplifies many activities, and contains subtle new features that can make a driver both more efficient and more flexible. Readers will find new chapters on important types of drivers not covered previously, such as consoles, USB drivers, and more. Best of all, you don't have to be a kernel hacker to understand and enjoy this book. All you need is an understanding of the C programming language and some background in Unix system calls. And for maximum ease-of-use, the book uses full-featured examples that you can compile and run without special hardware. Today Linux holds fast as the most rapidly growing segment of the computer market and continues to win over enthusiastic adherents in many application areas. With this increasing support, Linux is now absolutely mainstream, and viewed as a solid platform for embedded systems. If you're writing device drivers, you'll want this book. In fact, you'll wonder how drivers are ever written without it.

本书是经典著作《Linux设备驱动程序》的第三版。如果您希望在Linux操作系统上支持计算机外部设备，或者在Linux上运行新的硬件，或者只是希望一般性地了解Linux内核的编程，就一定要阅读本书。本书描述了如何针对各种设备编写驱动程序，而在过去，这些内容仅仅以口头形式交流，或者零星出现在神秘的代码注释中。 本书的作者均是Linux社区的领导者。Jonathan Corbet虽不是专职的内核代码贡献者，但他是备受关注的LWN.net新闻及信息网站的执行编辑。Alessandro Rubini是一名Linux代码贡献者，也是活跃的意大利Linux社区的灵魂人物。Greg Kroah-Hartman是目前内核中USB、PCI和驱动程序核心子系统（本书均有讲述）的维护者。 本书的这个版本已针对Linux内核的2.6.10版本彻底更新过了。内核的这个版本针对常见任务完成了合理化设计及相应的简化，如即插即用、利用sysfs文件系统和用户空间交互，以及标准总线上的多设备管理等等。 要阅读并理解本书，您不必首先成为内核黑客；只要您理解C语言并具有Unix系统调用的一些背景知识即可。您将学到如何为字符设备、块设备和网络接口编写驱动程序。为此，本书提供了完整的示例程序，您不需要特殊的硬件即可编译和运行这些示例程序。本书还在单独的章节中讲述了PCI、USB和tty（终端）子系统。对期望了解操作系统内部工作原理的读者来讲，本书也深入阐述了地址空间、异步事件以及I/O等方面的内容。